Roll up pick-up truck box cover with lock down slats

ABSTRACT

A cover assembly for a vehicle box having a plurality of slats with each slat pivotally connected to at least one adjacent slat and end fittings attached to opposite ends of each of the plurality of slats. Side rails are attachable to the vehicle box. Locking elements associated with each side rail are movable to engage and hold the end fittings onto the side rails. The locking element including a hook on a roll rod pivotally positioned within an arc section of the side rail. The roll rod is movable from a first position wherein the hook projects into a slot in the end fittings to a second position wherein the hook is withdrawn from the slot.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/011,523 filed Aug. 27, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/653,766 filed Oct.17, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,544,934, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61/553,828 filed Oct. 31, 2011;61/553,885 filed Oct. 31, 2011; 61/553,814 filed Oct. 31, 2011;61/602,280 filed Feb. 23, 2012; and 61/621,921 filed Apr. 9, 2012. Theentire disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pick-up trucks are one of the most popular and versatile vehicles in usetoday. Pick-up trucks typically have an enclosed cab and an open cargobox in the rear of the truck. The open cargo box allows all types ofthings to be quickly and easily loaded, carried and unloaded. Despitethis versatility, the open cargo box has significant disadvantages.First, with the box tailgate closed, the box creates significant airturbulence and drag on the truck, especially at high speeds. Thisreduces the fuel efficiency of the vehicle and may also add to the noiselevel within the cab. Another disadvantage is the complete lack ofsecurity. Anything in an open box can be easily stolen. The open cargobox also leaves the contents of the box exposed to the weather.

Various types of box covers have been proposed to overcome theseproblems, including single piece covers as well as folding, retracting,and roll-up covers in so-called hard cover designs made of metal,fiberglass, and plastic, and/or so-called soft cover designs made offabric. Still, disadvantages remain, including inadequate security,leaking, difficulty in installation and/or use. Accordingly, an improvedpick-up truck cargo box cover is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the principles of the present teachings, a cover assemblyfor a vehicle box is provided having advantageous construction. Thecover assembly may include a plurality of slats with each slat pivotallyconnected to at least one adjacent slat and end fittings attached toopposite ends of each of the plurality of slats. Side rails areattachable to the vehicle box. Locking elements associated with eachside rail are movable to engage and hold the end fittings onto the siderails. The locking element including a hook on a roll rod pivotallypositioned within an arc section of the side rail. The roll rod ismovable from a first position wherein the hook projects into a slot inthe end fittings to a second position wherein the hook is withdrawn fromthe slot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, the same reference number indicates the same element ineach of the views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roll up cover shown in an unrolledposition on the box of a pickup truck.

FIG. 1A is a section view taken along line 1A-1A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1 shown in a fullyrolled up position.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the cover of FIG. 1 shown in apartially rolled up position.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the cover as shown in FIG. 2,with components removed for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of two adjoining slats or stripsof the cover shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A is a further enlarged end view of two adjoining slats or stripsof the cover shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a section view of the back end or last slat and two adjoiningslats of the cover in the unrolled position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a section view of three adjoining slats of the cover in therolled up position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of an end fitting for use with theroll up cover shown in FIGS. 1-6.

FIG. 8 is a right side view of the end fitting shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the end fitting shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 10 is an end view of the end fitting shown in FIGS. 7-9.

FIG. 11 is a section view of one side of the roll up cover assembly ofFIGS. 1-9 shown in the locked position.

FIG. 11A is a section of one side of an alternative design roll up coverassembly.

FIG. 12 is a section view of the side rail of the cover assembly shownin FIG. 11 in an intermediate position.

FIG. 13 is a section view of the side rail of the cover shown in FIG. 11in an open or unlocked position.

FIG. 14 is an end view of the drive plate shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the side rail of the cover assemblyshown in FIGS. 1-14.

FIG. 16 is an end view of an alternative slat design.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodimentshowing an end fitting attached to a slat and a seal strip attached tothe end fitting.

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of the end fitting shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a rear perspective view of the end fitting shown in FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is an end perspective view of the seal strip shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 21 is a section view of the seal strip shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment siderail.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a hook strip for use with the side railshown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a front perspective view of an end fitting for use with theside rail shown in FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a side perspective view of the end fitting shown in FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is an exploded perspective view showing the attachment of theend fitting to a slat of a cover for use with the side rails of FIG. 22,and showing a seal strip attached to the end fitting shown in FIGS. 24and 25.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of an alternative side rail without adrain channel.

FIG. 28 is a section view showing an alternative cover on the side railof FIG. 27.

FIGS. 29 and 30 are perspective section views of an alternative designfor attaching a roll-up or folding cover to side rails, without usingany fasteners extending through the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As shown in FIGS. 1-2A, a cover assembly 15 includes a roll up cover 20and side rail assemblies 148 attached on opposite sides of the box 12 ofa pickup truck 10. The cover 20 may be rolled up from a deployed orunrolled position shown in FIG. 1, to a rolled up position shown in FIG.2, or to an intermediate position as shown in FIG. 2A. In the unrolledposition shown in FIG. 1, the cover 20 is supported on side rails 180 ofthe side rail assemblies 148. The cover 20 may have seal strips 84 oneach side overlying the box rails 14 of the box 12. The side railassemblies 148 may be attached to the box rails 14 via clamping, forexample as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,264, incorporated herein byreference. A rear seal flap 151 on the back slat 27 may resilientlypress onto and seal against the top or other surface of the tailgate 16.

As shown in FIG. 2, strips of felt 25 or other material may attachedonto the bottom surface of the cover 20 to provide a handling surface.The cover 20 can then be rolled and unrolled without the need for theuser's hand to touch the slats 26, which may become uncomfortably hot tothe touch on hot sunny days.

The cover 20 is formed of interlocking or pivotally attached slats 26,which may be extrusions, such as aluminum alloy extrusions. FIG. 4 showstwo adjacent slats 26. The width of the slats 26 (i.e. the dimension inthe front/back direction of the truck 10 as shown in FIGS. 1-2A) mayvary between 1 and 8 inches, with typical covers having slats that are1.5 to 2.0 inches wide. Narrower slats may allow the cover 20 to roll upinto a smaller diameter, allowing for more compact storage.

Most pickup truck boxes have a length varying between about 60 and 100inches. As one example, using slats 2.0 inches wide, a cover for a 60inch box would have about 30 slats, while a cover for a 100 inch boxwould correspondingly have about 50 slats. The height or thickness ofthe slats HH in FIG. 5 may range from about 0.18 to 0.6 inches,typically ranging from about 0.2 to 0.4 inches.

A typical cover dimensioned for a 90-100 inch long box may have adiameter when rolled up of less than 14, 12, 10 or 8 inches. This avoidsobstructing the rear view from the cab 18. Generally, the headrests onthe seats in the cab will be higher than the rolled up cover, to theextent that the rolled up cover may have virtually no effect on the rearview from the cab. Since the cover rolls up and not down, it does nottake up any space in the box 12 or require a canister in the box to holdthe rolled up cover.

The cover 20 and the side rail assemblies 148 may be dimensioned so thatthe top surface of the cover 20 is substantially flush with the topsurface of the box rails 14. In this case, the cover assembly 15 maypresent a low-profile streamlined appearance, with the cover onlynominally visible when the truck is viewed from the side or rear at eyelevel. With the cover supported on the side rails 180, and not on thebox rails 14, the cover 20 does not obstruct the stake pockets, and itdoes not interfere with use of bed extenders, bed rails, tie downs,racks, and other accessories. The cover is also easily installed on mostor all pick-up trucks, without drilling any holes.

Although the drawings show slats 26 of constant length (extendinglaterally across the box), covers having slats of varying length mayalso be used. For example, slats at the back end of the cover, closer tothe tailgate 16, may be shorter than the slats closer to the cab 18, sothat the length of the slat is proportional to slat position in the coilof slats when the cover is rolled up, as shown in FIG. 3. The width ofthe slats (in the front/back direction of the box 12) will vary with thewidth of the box 12, which for most pickup trucks is about 52 to 75inches. Typically all of the slats have the same width, and the cover 20is rectangular. FIG. 3 shows the cover 20 with the end fittings 150removed for purpose of illustration.

Referring still to FIG. 3, a strap 29 may be provided on each side ofthe cover 20, to hold the cover into the rolled up position. On eachside of the cover 20, a fixed end of the strap 29 may be attached to ablind stud 31 or other fitting on the bottom side of the front slat 23(the forward-most slat on the cover). The fixed end of the strap mayoptionally be attached to the front end of each side rail 180. With thecover rolled up, the strap 29 may be drawn up and around the cover andreleasably attach to a buckle or latch 33 attached to a top surface ofthe front slat 23, optionally on a short tether 35.

Turning to FIG. 4, all of the slats 26 may optionally have the samedesign. This allows a single extrusion to cut to the desired length toprovide the slats 26. Although designs with slats of two or moredifferent designs may be used, the design shown in FIG. 4 having asingle slat design simplifies manufacturing. As shown in FIG. 4, arepresentative slat 26 has a first side 28, a middle or web section 30and a second side 32. An inner hinge element 38 is on the first side 28,and an outer hinge element 62 is on the second side 32. The inner hingeelement 38 may include a curved or radiused lip 40 attached to a leg 44on an arc step 46 joined to the web section 30. A groove 36 may beprovided on the top of the arc step 46. The arc step 46 positions theflat top surface of the leg 44 slightly below the flat top surface 50 ofthe web section 32.

Referring still to FIG. 4, the outer hinge element 62 on the second side32 of the slat 26 may include a curved or radiused hook 66 having an endstop 64. A ledge 60 on the second side 32 may project outwardlypartially over the hook 66. The inner hinge element 38 is sized andshaped to fit inside of the outer hinge element 62, to form a pivotinghinge joint, generally indicated at element number 24, attachingadjacent slats 26. In the example shown the inner hinge elementcomprises the lip 40 and leg 44 and the outer hinge element comprisesthe hook 66 and the end stop 64. However, other hinge elements mayalternatively be used. The positions of the elements described may ofcourse also be reversed.

In the example shown, the web section 30 has a flat top surface that isalso coplanar with the ledge 60 on the second side 32. As shown in FIG.4, a slot 52 may be provided on the bottom surface of the web section 30between an opposing pair of slot arms 54. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, asheet of preferably water impermeable and flexible material 34, such asvinyl, is attached to the flat top surface, e.g., with adhesive. Thesheet may extend continuously over substantially the entire top surfaceof the cover 20, excluding the end fittings. The sheet of material 34helps to seal the box 14 against egress of water, dust etc., when thecover 20 is closed. The sheet 34 may also optionally be imprinted withdecorative designs, images or logos. In an alternative design, separateindividual strips of flexible material may be attached over the hingejoints 24.

Turning now also to FIG. 5, with the cover 20 in the flat or unrolledposition, the slats 26 may be locked out against downward rolling orcurving movement. As shown in FIG. 4A, with the cover unrolled, the topsurface 69 of the leg 44 is in contact with the bottom surface 71 of theledge 60. In addition, the top surface 61 of the stop 64 is in contactwith the bottom surface 63 of the web 30. Consequently, in thisposition, the hinge joints 24 only allow pivoting movement in thedirection of arrow AA in FIG. 5, and not in the direction of arrow BB.When in the unrolled position as shown, the slats 26 consequently remaingenerally flat and resist upward movement.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 4A and 5, the slats cannot be linearly pulledapart as the inner surface 65 of the hook 66 bears against the outersurface of the inner hinge element 38, and the lip 40 rests on the topsurface of the hook 66. Similarly, the slats cannot be compressedtogether because the lip end 44 presses against the upper surface 75 ofthe hook 66. The engagement of the slats consequently has two spacedapart sets of engagement surfaces (61/63 and 69/75) that preventdownward rolling movement (in the direction BB in FIG. 5), a set oftension engagement surfaces 65/67, and a set of compression engagementsurfaces 73/75.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the hinge joints 24 allow movement in thedirection of arrow AA, up to a selected angle determined by the relativepositions of the stop 64 on the hook 66, and the end 42 of the lip 40.In the specific design shown, the slats may be designed to allow up toabout 75, 85, 95, 105 or more degrees of movement between adjacentslats. Allowing a larger angular range of movement between adjacentslats allows the cover 20 to fold as well as to roll up. Movement of thelip 40 into contact with the stop 64 prevents further movement. As aresult, the cover rolls up, without adjacent slats folding over ontoeach other.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, when unrolled, the slats 26 may form agenerally flat and rigid hard plate-like cover structure. As shown inFIGS. 4-5, when the cover is unrolled, the contact between the flat leg44 against the ledge 60, and the contact between the stop 64 and thebottom surface of the web 30, resists upward bowing or bending betweenadjacent slats 26. The cover 20 is consequently highly resistant toforced entry.

If the cover is designed with slats 26, the cover 20 will freely roll upas shown in FIG. 2, but will resist downward rolling due the engagingsurfaces of the slats, as described above. However, a bi-directionalcover may be made with slats without the engaging surfaces. In thiscase, the bi-directional cover 20 can either roll up or roll down. Ifthe bi-directional cover is used with the side rails 180, the side railsalone may allow the bi-directional cover to roll up but prevent thebi-directional cover from rolling down. Accordingly, the cover assembly15 as described here may use either a roll up cover as shown in FIGS.3-6, or a bi-directional cover having slats forming hinge joints 24 thatallow adjacent slats to pivot up or down.

The flexible material 34 may bow or crease into the groove 36 as thecover is rolled up. As shown in FIG. 6, when partially or fully rolledup, the ledge 60 of one slat 26 may extend partially into the groove 36of an adjacent slat.

FIGS. 7-10 show an end fitting 150 for use in the cover assembly 15. Theend fitting 150 has a tab and a T-slot 154. With FIG. 7 showing the endfitting 150 inverted for purpose of illustration, the end fitting 150has a foot 156 having a foot groove or slot formed between a foot floor160 and a foot top surface 162 at an acute angle to the foot floor 160.The foot floor 160 may be flat and horizontal, and parallel to the topsurface of the arms forming the T-slot. The foot top surface 162 mayform an angle of 20 to 60 or 30 to 45 degrees to the foot floor.

FIGS. 1-13 show one side of the cover assembly 15. The opposite side maybe a mirror image of the side shown. The seal strip 84 shown in FIGS. 1and 11 is omitted from FIG. 21 for purpose of illustration. Referring toFIGS. 11-13, each side rail assembly 148 of the cover assembly 15 has aside rail 180 having a top plate 184 attached to a clamp plate 182. Gripridges 190 may be provided on the inner surface of the clamp plate. Thetop plate 184 may be perpendicular to clamp plate 182. The top plate hasan outer section 186 that rests on the box rail 14 of the box 12 ofpick-up truck 10, optionally with a resilient strip 172 between them, asshown in FIG. 11. The side rail 180 also has an arc section 192 attachedto an inner section 188 of the top plate 184. The arc section 192extends in a circular arc from the inner section 188 of the top plate toa vertical segment 194. The vertical segment 194 may be straight withthe arc section 192 and the vertical segment 194 having a G-shape.

A latch plate 196 may be attached on top of the vertical segment,typically perpendicular to the vertical segment 194. A cup section 202is attached to the latch plate 196, with the cup section having a centerof curvature co-linear with the center of curvature of the arc section.A fitting arm 200 is attached to the cup section 202 and may be parallelto and overlie the latch plate 196. The inner edge of the fitting arm200 may have a radius 204, to allow latches on the cover to more easilypass by the fitting arm 200 and extend into a latch slot 198 between thefitting arm 200 and the latch plate 196. A resilient seal strip 206 maybe adhered to or otherwise provided on the top surface of the fittingarm 200, as shown in FIG. 11. In some designs, the latch plate 196 andthe latch slot 198 may be omitted.

A roll rod 210 is pivotally contained within the arc section 192 of theside rail 180. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the roll rod 210 has anarcuate hook 212 attached to a counter weight section 214. An innercylinder 216 is attached to the counter weight section on an arm 218.The inner cylinder 216 fits inside of and pivots or rotates within thecup section 202. The outer surface of the roll rod has a radiusnominally less (0.001 to 0.025 inch) than the radius of the inner wallof the arc section 192. Projections 226 may be formed in the outersurface of the roll rod 210 to form spaced apart bearing surfaces. Inthis design, only the bearing surfaces 224 contact the inner wall of thearc section 192, to allow the roll rod 210 to rotate more smoothly. Theside rail 180 and/or the roll rod 210 may also be powder coated, orprovided with other similar coatings, to reduce friction between them.

A drive plate 230 is attached to the back end of the roll rod 210,typically adjacent to the tailgate of the pick-up truck. A pin 234 onthe drive plate 230 may be pressed or positioned in a hole or slot 220in the counter weight section 214. Another bolt, pin or spline at thecenter of the drive plate 230 may be used to attach the drive plate tothe roll rod 210. The drive plate 230 on the left side rail assembly 146shown in FIG. 13 is a mirror image of the drive plate 230 on the rightside rail assembly 146 shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 13 shows the side rail assembly 148 in the open position, where thedrive plate 230 extends upwardly and inwardly at an angle of about 45degrees, and with an inner end of the drive plate 230 projecting abovethe fitting arm 200. In the open position, the hook 212 is withdrawninto the arc section 192. This allows the end fittings 150 of the covermove down onto the fitting arm 200, as the cover 20 is unrolled.Similarly, the end fittings can be freely lifted and rolled up and offof the fitting arm 200 as the cover is rolled up. The weight of thecounter weight section may automatically hold the roll rod 210 into theopen position shown in FIG. 13.

As the cover is unrolled, the roll rod 210 remains in the open positionuntil the last slat at the back end of the cover moves down onto theinner end 240 of the drive plate 230. As this occurs, the downwardclosing force of the slat rotates the drive plate 230 and the roll rodfrom the open position shown in FIG. 13, through the intermediateposition shown in FIG. 12, into the closed or locked position shown inFIG. 11. As the roll rod 210 moves into the closed position, the hook212, which extends over the entire length of the roll rod 210, rotatesinwardly and downwardly into the foot slot 158 of each of the endfittings 150 on the cover.

Movement of the hook 212 into the foot slot 158 of each of the endfittings, on both sides of the cover, securely locks the cover down ontothe side rail. The hook 212 may optionally contact and press down on thefoot 156 of each fitting, to clamp each fitting onto the fitting plate200 of the side rail 180. This can help to prevent any rattling orshaking of the cover while driving. It can also help to hold the edgeseals down tightly against the box rails. With the hook positivelypressing down on the foot 156 of each fitting, even slight upwardmovement of the cover off of the rails is prevented. This helps todiscourage attempts to forcibly break into the box 12 via prying.

Each side of the last slat 27 (i.e., the slat at the back end of thecover adjacent to the tailgate 16) may have a latch 191 mounted on aspacer 195 with a plunger 195 movable into the latch slot 198, or into aposition under the fitting arm 200, if no latch slot 198 is used, forexample as shown in FIG. 5 and as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,264.The last slat 27 may alternatively have a keyed lock that engages withthe tailgate, to prevent the cover from being opened or rolled up, evenpartially, without unlocking the last slat, and/or the tailgate.

Referring to FIG. 13, optionally, a tether or a linkage 250 may beattached to one or both of the drive plates 230, to secure the roll rods210 into an open or a closed position. For certain uses, it may beadvantageous to roll the cover up only part way. In this case, thetether or linkage can be used to move the roll rod 210 into the closedor locked position, even though the last slat of the cover is notpressing down on the drive plate 230.

The side rail 180 and the roll rod 210 may be aluminum extrusions. Inthis case, their various sections and components are integrally formedas single units. As described here, a section or component attached toanother section of component means that it may be conventionallyattached or integrally formed.

Referring to FIG. 15, the last few inches of the hook 212 at the backend of the roll rod may optionally be removed leaving a gap 218, toallow several slats to lift off of the side rails together. In thiscase, the cover may be opened and closed without necessarily using apure rolling movement at the back end of the cover.

Referring to FIGS. 2A, 3 and 15, the cover 20 may be partially rolled upand locked in position, for example as shown in FIG. 2A, via the samesequence described above. With the cover 20 partially rolled up as inFIG. 2A, inward movement of the hook 212 will engage the foot slot 158of the end fittings 150 on the slats 26 in the front section of thecover 20. Accordingly, the cover 20 may be locked into variousintermediate positions between fully unrolled and closed, and fullyrolled up and open.

The back or last slat 27 cannot depress the drive plates 230 to operatethe roll rods 210 when the cover 20 is in a partially rolled upposition. Accordingly, the tether or linkage 250 may be used to manuallyrotate and hold the roll rods 210 inwardly. The tether may be formed viaan elastic cord and a hook for engaging a fitting at the back end of thebox 12. The linkage may be a bar or lever similarly positioned, formoving the roll rods 210 into the locked position without the need forthe last slat 27 to actuate the drive plates 230.

Although FIGS. 11-13 show a roll rod 210 used to lock the cover 20 ontothe side rails 180, other mechanisms may alternatively be used. Forexample, mechanisms that linearly move an element into the foot slots158 horizontally from the side, or on an angle from above the foot slots158 may be used. FIG. 11A shows an alternative design with a hook 212 orsimilar element engaging into a fitting 150 on an inboard bottom surfaceof the cover, rather than at the sides of the cover as shown in FIG. 11.

The cover 20 may optionally use slats such as slat 26A shown in FIG. 16which is the same as the slat 26, but includes a slot extension 55 whichmay be provided to reduce pinch points.

FIG. 17 shows an alternative cover 21 using a different end fitting 70along with the resilient seal strips 84. In FIG. 17, a tab 72 of eachend fitting is pushed or positioned into a slot 52 and is held in placewith fasteners or adhesive. A T-section of the seal strip 84 is slid orthreaded through a slot 76 in each end fitting 70, at both ends of theslats 26. This may be done before or after the end fittings are attachedto the slats 26. The length of the body 74 of the end fittings may beless than the width of the slats 26. This leaves a free segment of theseal strip between each adjacent end fitting 70. Consequently, the freesegment of the seal strip 84 can freely flex and bend as the cover isrolled and unrolled.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 the T-slot 76 is located between arms 78 onthe body 74 of the end fitting 70. The arms 78 have flat top surfaces80. Turning to FIGS. 20 and 21, the seal strip 84 has an outer arm 88and an inner arm 90 joined to a T-section 86. The inner arm 90 mayinclude a seal lip 92. The seal strip 84 is a resilient material, suchas rubber. This attachment of the end fittings to the slats 26, and thisattachment of the seal strip to the end fittings, may also be used withthe end fittings 150 in the cover 15 described above.

With the cover 21, the end fittings 70 rest on top of a side rail andthe individual end fittings 70 are not engaged or locked down. Rather,the cover 21 is attached to the front ends of the rails, e.g., viafasteners, and the back end of the cover is latched or locked down vialatches 195 shown in FIG. 6 or similar devices. Consequently, simpleside rails, such as the side rail 302 shown in FIG. 27 may be used.

FIGS. 22-26 show another alternative cover assembly 100. This designuses an end fitting 70A having a tab 72A extending at right angles froma body 74A. A T-slot 76A is formed between inverted L-shaped arms 78A onthe body, with the arms 78A having flat top surfaces 80A. The fitting70A has a foot 82 on the bottom of the body 74A, with a foot slot 83 inthe foot. Only the foot 82 and foot slot 83 at one end of the fitting70A is used. However, if the fitting may be symmetrical front-to-back,so that the same fitting may be used on both sides of the cover, insteadof having separate and different left and right side fittings.

As shown in FIG. 26, the fitting 70A is attached at the opposite ends ofeach slat 26 of the cover and the seal strip 84 attached as describedabove relative to FIG. 17. FIG. 22 shows a side rail 102 generallyhaving a T-section 110 and an end fitting channel section 112. TheT-section includes a top plate or surface 104 and a clamp plate 106extending down to the top plate 104. Ridges 108 or other grippingsurface elements may be provided on the inside surface of the clampplate 106. The end fitting channel section 112 generally includeschannel sidewalls 114 joining channel floors 116 on opposite sides of adrain slot 118 leading down to a drain channel 124.

The channel sidewalls 114 may be parallel to the clamp plate 106. Thechannel floors 116 may be parallel to the top plate 104. The top plate104 may be perpendicular to the clamp plate 106 and/or the channelfloors 116. The drain channel 124 may be flat with angles sides, asshown, or it may be tubular, square, or of other geometric or irregularshape. The bottom surface of the drain channel 124 is preferablycontinuous to allow the drain channel 124 to carry water withoutleaking.

Referring still to FIG. 22, a curve or ramp surface 130 on the channelsidewalls may extend down and end at a retainer lip 132. As shown inFIG. 23, a hook strip 140 has upwardly projecting equally spaced aparthooks 142. The hooks 142 are spaced apart by the same dimension as thespacing between adjacent end fittings 70A. The hook strip 140 is sizedand shaped to fit into or onto the end fitting channel section 112. Inthe design shown, the hook strip 140 is designed to slide into channelsection 112 from one end, with the retainer lips 132 holding the hookstrip 140 in the channel section 112. Alternatively, the ramp section130 and/or the retainer lips 132 may be omitted and the hook strip maybe attached onto the side rail 102 via adhesives, welding, fasteners,etc.

As shown in FIG. 23, the hook strip 140 may have openings 146, to allowwater in channel section 114 to move through the hook strip 140 and intothe drain slot 118 and the drain channel 124. Alternatively, other drainpassages may be provided via grooves, slots, protuberances, etc. on thechannel floors 116 and/or the bottom or sides of the hook strip 140.Typically, the number of hooks 142 matches the number of slats 26.

Referring to FIGS. 22-26, the openings or raised ends of the hooks 142are facing the back of the truck. The forward-most slat 23 of the cover20 is attached to the side rails 102, typically via a fastener or studon the slat 23 extending through an extension plate on the slat 23, oroptionally through the top plate 104 between the clamp plate 106 and theouter channel sidewall 114. The cover 20 may be rolled up to provideaccess to the box of the truck. One or more tethers or clips may be usedto hold the cover in the rolled up position, while driving the truck, ifdesired.

To cover the box, the cover 20 is unrolled. As this occurs, the endfittings 70A on the left and right ends of the slats 28 sequentiallymove into the channel section 112. The foot 82 of each end fitting 70Amoves under a hook 142, with the back end of the hook 142 moving intothe foot slot 83.

With the cover 20 unrolled, the box is covered and secure, and may notbe accessed without opening the tailgate, as shown in FIG. 1. The lockon the tailgate 16 may therefore be used to lock the box as well. Withthe cover unrolled, the slats 26 may not be lifted up off of the siderails 22 because of the engagement of the hooks 142 into the foot slots83 of the end fittings 70A. Consequently, the cover is firmly secured atthe sides to better resist prying and/or impacts intended to breach thecover 20.

The hooks 142 may be replaced by lateral pins, loops or bars, since thecover 20 using the end fittings 70A only requires equally spaced apartfixed rail elements on or in the side rails to engage with acorresponding element on the cover, when the cover is unrolled. Whilethe drawings show hooks 142 on a separate hook strip 140, the strip 140may be omitted and the hooks 142 or similar element provided directly inor on the side rail 26. For example, in place of hooks 142 on a hookstrip 140, lateral tabs or projections may be formed on the side rails,with the end fittings attaching around or onto the tabs in a rollingengagement.

It is also possible to reverse the position of the foot slots and thehooks, by placing a hook or other projection on the end fitting, andproviding slots or recesses in the side rail adapted to be engaged bythe projections on the end fittings. It is also possible to useinter-engaging or inter-fitting projections on both the end fittings andon the side rails.

Since the end fittings move in an arc when engaging or disengaging fromthe hooks 142, the foot slots 83 and/or the hooks 142 may optionally becurved to generally match the arc of movement. If used, the curvature ofthe slots 83 and or the hooks 142 may change progressively from front toback, to match the radius of curvature of the cover. Specifically, sincethe slats at the back of the cover move in a tighter radius than theslats at the front of the cover, the slots 83 and hooks 142 may havemore curvature at the back than at the front.

It is also possible to provide the end fitting engagement element, suchas the slot 83, or a projecting engagement element on the end fitting,on one side of the end fitting, instead of on the bottom as shown inFIGS. 24-25. For example, an engagement element may extend out and downfrom the outer side surface 85 shown in FIG. 24. In this case, theengagement element may engage a counterpart engaging element on the siderail, but with the counterpart not in the channel section 112.Specifically, the counterpart engaging element may be out of the channelsection 112, to the inside of the inner channel wall 114, optionallyattached to or supported by the inner channel wall 114 or the channelfloor 116.

FIGS. 27 and 28 show another design having a side rail 302 having acover support ledge 316, a top plate 104 and a clamp plate 106, butwithout a drain channel. Using a continuous sheet of flexible material34 on the slats 26 and a seal 318 as shown in FIG. 28 and as in U.S.Pat. No. 7,537,264, may provide sufficiently water tight sealing. Drainchannels in the side rails may therefore be used or omitted. Eliminatingthe drain channel allows a simpler extrusion shape to be used for theside rails.

Although the covers 20 and 21 are described above as roll up covers,they can also fold up. As shown in FIG. 15, the gap 218 allows severalslats 26 be lifted up off of the side rails, typically after releasingthe latch 195. For example, if the gap 218 is 7 inches, and the slatsare 1.6 inches wide, then four slats with a front to back length of 6.4inches may be lifted together, with the four slats remaining in a flatplane. This group of four slats may then be folded over with the hingejoints 24 between the fourth, fifth and optionally sixth slats opening.A subsequent group of four (or more or fewer) slats may then also befolded over, with the folding continuing as desired. The folded covertakes on a generally oval shape, in contrast to the round shape takenwhen the cover is rolled up.

FIGS. 29 and 30 show a sliding cover clamp system 320 which may be usedto attach a roll-up cover or a folding cover to side rails, without theneed for any through holes in the cover. A slide housing 322 is attachedto the bottom surface of a slat at the front of the cover, or to thebottom surface of a cab panel, using adhesives and/or blind fastenersthat do not extend all of the way up through the cover. The slidehousing 322 may be provided as a segment 324 of an extrusion. A slideplate 326 is slidable laterally in the slide housing 322. A slide platescrew 328 can be tightened to lock the slide plate 326 in an in positionor an out position, and temporarily loosened to allow movement of theslide plate 326 between the in and out positions.

Also as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, a rail clamp 332 is provided in theform of an extrusion segment 334 shaped to slide over the drain channelof the side rail. A rail clamp screw can be tightened to lock the railclamp in place on the side rail, and loosened to allow the rail clamp332 to slide on the side rail.

Referring still to FIGS. 29 and 30, in use the cover is placed onto theside rails. With the front slat or cab panel positioned at the front endof the side rails, the slide plate 326 on both the left and right sidesof the cover is slid outwardly. The outer end of slide plate 326 movesinto a slot 340, such as a latch slot, or other opening in the siderail. The clamp screw 328 is tightened to hold the slide plate in place.The slat or cab panel is consequently locked down vertically onto theside rails.

To prevent the cover from moving on the rails in the front to backdirection, a rail clamp 332 slidably engaged on the side rail is slidforward until it contacts the slide plate. The rail clamp 332 is thenlocked in place using the rail clamp screw. The front end of the coveris then locked onto the rails against movement in any direction.

Thus, novel cover assemblies have been shown and described. Variouschanges and substitutions may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention. The invention therefore should not belimited except by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cover assembly for a vehicle box, comprising: aplurality of slats with each slat pivotally connected to at least oneadjacent slat; end fittings attached to opposite ends of each of theplurality of slats; first and second side rails attached to the vehiclebox; and a locking element associated with each side rail movable toengage and hold the end fittings onto the side rails, the lockingelement including a hook on a roll rod pivotally positioned within anarc section of the side rail, the roll rod movable from a first positionwherein the hook projects into a slot in the end fittings, to a secondposition wherein the hook is withdrawn from the slot.
 2. The coverassembly of claim 1 wherein the end fittings each have a flat bottomsurface supported on the side rails.
 3. The cover assembly of claim 1wherein the roll rod and the side rail are each substantially the samelength and further comprising a drive plate rigidly attached to a backend of the roll rod, the drive plate rotating the roll rod when thecover is closed over the drive plate.
 4. The cover assembly of claim 1wherein the cover rolls up or folds up starting at the back end of thevehicle box.
 5. The cover assembly of claim 1 wherein the slats arepivotally attached to each other to allow the cover to roll up only in aroll up direction wherein the top surfaces of the slats move towardseach other, and with bottom surfaces of the slats facing outwardly, andnot vice versa.
 6. The cover assembly of claim 1 wherein each endfitting includes a seal slot, further comprising: a resilient sealhaving a slot section extending through the seal slots, the resilientseal having an inner arm extending over at least two of the plurality ofslats, and an outer arm extending over a top surface of at least one ofthe first and second side rails.
 7. A cover assembly for a pick-up truckbox, comprising: a roll up cover having a plurality of slats with afirst hinge element on a first side of substantially each slat pivotallyattached to a second hinge element on a second side of an adjacent slatto form a pivot joint between adjacent slats; first and second siderails attachable to opposite sides of the truck box having a front endand back end; the roll up cover being rollable or foldable on the siderails starting from the back end of the box from a closed position to anopen position; end fittings attached to opposite ends of at least one ofthe plurality of the slats and engageable with the side rails to lockthe cover onto the truck box, with each end fitting having a seal slot;and a resilient seal having a slot section extending through the sealslots, the resilient seal having an inner arm extending over at leasttwo of the plurality of slats, and an outer arm extending over a topsurface of at least one of the first and second side rails.
 8. The coverassembly of claim 7 with the first hinge element comprising a curved lipand the second hinge element comprising curved hook.
 9. The coverassembly of claim 8 with the curved lip is entirely below a top surfaceof the cover.
 10. A cover assembly for a pick-up truck box, comprising:a roll up cover having a plurality of slats, each of the plurality ofslats having a first hinge element on a first side pivotally attached toa second hinge element on a second side of an adjacent slat to form apivot joint between adjacent slats; side rails attachable to oppositesides of the truck box having a front end and back end; the roll upcover being rollable or foldable on the side rails starting from theback end of the truck box from a closed position to an open position;and end fittings attached to opposite ends of at least one of theplurality of the slats and engageable with the side rails to lock thecover onto the truck box, each end fitting including a slot and furtherincluding a roll rod in the side rails having a hook section that movesin a circular arc into contact with the end fittings, as one or more ofthe plurality of slats at a back end of the cover move into the closedposition.
 11. The cover assembly of claim 10 wherein the end fittingseach have a flat bottom surface supported on the side rails.
 12. Thecover assembly of claim 10 wherein the roll rod and the side rails areeach substantially the same length and further comprising: a drive platerigidly attached to a back end of the roll rod, the drive plate rotatingthe roll rod when the cover is closed over the drive plate.
 13. Thecover assembly of claim 10 wherein the cover rolls up or folds upstarting at the back end of the truck box.
 14. The cover assembly ofclaim 10 wherein the slats are pivotally attached to each other to allowthe cover to roll up only in a roll up direction wherein the topsurfaces of the plurality of slats move towards each other, and withbottom surfaces of the plurality of slats facing outwardly.
 15. Thecover assembly of claim 10 wherein each end fitting includes a sealslot, further comprising: a resilient seal having a slot sectionextending through the seal slots, the resilient seal having an inner armextending over at least two of the plurality of slats, and an outer armextending over a top surface of at least one of the side rails.